Wyvern
by Draconicality
Summary: New enemies, a new [relic], new characters... and the same old ones as well. Lookie, an update! It's short, but the next will be better!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1   
  
I am a Wyvern.   
  
A draconian, you might think. A wyrm. And as a human once said, "A great bloody fire breathin' lizard."   
  
I am a girl, not a lizard.   
  
My name is Rheanilesti Khoryonelle. Rhea, if you like.   
  
Who am I, really?   
  
One born of the magic, along with my 'brother' and 'sister,' Trendexere Kholl and Malystryxx Kheli, Tren and Malys to each other. And to me.   
  
A wild magic birthed us. A strange magic, the likes of which will never be seen again, arrived as a firestorm in Carona Forest. And I know we were created from that firestorm.   
  
How?   
  
So many questions. And we do not know the answers.   
  
I stare at my reflection in the healing spring at the back of our cave. Pale ivory skin. Long, silver-bluish hair that shimmers in the light. Clear eyes, like pure pools of amber. And a sense that it is just a veil, a costume for what is underneath.  
  
We were 'dumped' here, with nothing but our clothes, our identities, and the knowledge that we were wyverns. And the instinct that we had to guard this shielded cave, this dwelling place of ours. Something the humans call an 'atelier.' The few that have managed to find this hidden pocket of rock have fled from our magic.   
  
I wonder what we have to guard? The only things we have found are a few old books, which my brother and sister are off translating. None of them fit the descriptions of what humans call [relics.]   
  
I wonder...   
  
"Rhea!"   
  
"Tren! Where have you two been?"   
  
"Rhea! C'mon! We've found something really great in one of the books!" As usual, Tren ignores my queston and pulls me outside.   
  
I stop dead.   
  
"What the-"   
  
All other words are lost in Malys' Solar Blast.   
  
And all goes black.   
  
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_   
  
He was alone - alone in a space that was blacker than night.   
  
Or maybe not so alone.   
  
At his side lay Mint, bleeding badly, her breathing shallow.   
  
And the monster. The monster that had been prowling after them for so long... that had attacked Mint... nd it was coming closer, closer.   
  
They stood in a pool of light, the only visible things in the fathomless dark. And still the monster came.   
  
*******   
  
Rue tossed and turned in his sleep, his face a mask of rage and fear.   
  
*******   
  
A huge beast, it was a monstrous Saber Wolf that breathed flame. It's fur, red as the blood on its fangs, rippled and shone darkly as it moved into the light.   
  
It had found them.   
  
A roar! Then the monstrous beast leapt.   
  
Rue only had time for a glimpse of the bloody maw before it fizzled silently out, stopped in midleap and disintegrating before his eyes in a jet of white flames.   
  
Then three beings flickered into life, but he could not see them for the light, the light that was constantly shifting from blue to red to a darkness that somehow hurt the eyes more than any brilliance could.   
  
Then, though his eyes remained closed, a single vision registered.   
  
A small pendant, three gems in a gold setting. A rusty red, smoky silver, and a green as profound as the leaves of the forest.   
  
A hissing crackle of words, deadly as lightning, invaded his senses.   
  
"Relic of the Dragons."   
  
And another.   
  
"Wyvernshope." 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay, so I haven't played the game for a while. I never DID get past the big blue bull-guardian of the first Atelier. I might try playing again soon, though.   
  
If you read this before and reread chapter 1, you'll notice I changed Rhea's hair color. Really, when I thought of her with dark brown hair and than with silver-blue hair, silver-blue looked better.   
  
Thank you Mana Angel and Nako - chan for the reviews! Picadilly too, whoever you are.  
  
Wyvern is interesting, no?  
  
Wyvern: Part 2  
  
"AAARRGHHH!"  
  
Mint had already trashed most of her room with fire and water magic, and was now proceeding to slice at a desk with her rings, for the lack of anything better to do.  
  
She was incredibly bored. After the whole Dewprism episode, Maya had convinced her to come home to East Haven Kingdom. Unfortunately, it was barely a month before she had run out of things to do.  
  
She missed the old days, with battles and monsters and in the distance, a [relic] waiting to be found.  
  
And she missed Rue.  
  
She never admitted it to anyone but herself, but Mint cared more for the silver-haired guy than she let on. But any chance to tell him had been lost when Claire came back.  
  
A light knock on the door interrupted her reverie.  
  
"Go away, Maya!" she yelled.  
  
"Um...it's not Maya..."  
  
Curious, she opened the door to find an extremely scared-looking kid, around ten or so.  
  
"Uh...this message just arrived from Carona for you..."  
  
Mint grabbed the envelope hurriedly, almost jumping with joy. The boy scurried out of the room.  
  
A message from Carona? That could only mean Klaus had found something. Or Rue had decided to write her... No. She shook her head and tore open the note.  
  
As her eyes scanned the paper, they widened in horror and she suddenly sat down hard on the bed.  
  
Then she grabbed her rings and ran out of the room.  
  
The note, forgotten, fluttered softly to the floor.  
  
Dear Mint,  
  
I found some information on another [relic] a week ago. Rue went to investigate and did not return. Elena and Prima went out to look for him the next day and found him near the forest's edge. He was unconscious and very badly wounded. We have done everything we can to help him, but he has slipped into a coma.  
  
We found a girl sitting next to him. She does not know where she came from, nor does she have any memories of anything beyond waking up in the forest and trying to survive. She only remembers her name: Rhea.  
  
I believe it would help us greatly if you would come to Carona.  
  
Klaus  
  
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*  
  
Yes, yes, the chapter's kinda short. So what? I had temporary writer's block, several school projects, AND I got sick. The next chapter will be up in a few weeks with some luck. 


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, so Mint was a bit OOC. I've changed the chapter a bit to fix that.   
  
Wyvern: Part 3  
  
*Who the heck am I?*  
  
Rhea was perched on the edge of a dock, feet hanging over the water.  
  
Her clothes gave her no clue; a hooded robe of shifting green, edged with dark brown and black patterns. Sturdy traveling boots. And the weapon she had - a long wooden staff, with jagged, curved scythe blades at both ends. The only strange thing about this staff was the twining dragon design carved around it, and the unusual flame pattern on both the blades.   
  
As for her appearance... She bent over to the point of falling off the pier, and stared at her reflection.  
  
Her silver-blue hair was tied back in a ponytail, but some of the hair on the left side her face was cut off short so it concealed what had been done to her; the horrible, twisting scars that disfigured the left side of her face and the empty hole where her eye should have been.  
  
It didn't conceal the hole in her forehead.   
  
It was a shallow, diamond-shaped thing, a dark scoop mark between and slightly above her eyes. It didn't look like an accident either...as though something should have been placed there but hadn't been. Klaus had frowned at it when he saw it, but no one else seemed to take notice.   
  
Her appearance wasn't TOO unusual otherwise...after all, that guy she'd found, that Rue, looked odder than she did. Even her pale golden eyes and pointed ears didn't seem to stand out too much.  
  
(am a......vern...)  
  
(...Thinking it was just a veil...)  
  
Rhea gasped in shock as a piece of memory slipped into the conscious part of her brain.  
  
(...LAR BLAST!...)  
  
(Malys...what......doing...?)  
  
(Tren, I thought I......ay...inside!...)  
  
Fragments of speech, and a glimpse of a blond-haired boy....and it was gone.   
  
Rhea stood up to walk back to Carona, thinking, *What the hell was that...?*  
  
*******  
  
Mint was just relieved that the ship didn't crash this time. Even if it had, she was too worried about Rue to take much notice.  
  
She jumped down from the ship's deck before they'd even touched the dock...  
  
And landed on someone.  
  
"OW! Hey, watch where you're going!" She'd whacked the other person a blow in the back. Luckily, the ship wasn't too high off the ground, so there wasn't much chance of cracked spinal cords.  
  
"*You* watch where you're going! Why didn't you just look up, catgirl?" said Mint, slipping automatically into 'bratty princess' mode, as she pulled the other girl roughly to her feet. "Hey, wait a minute. I never saw you in Carona before."  
  
The other girl rolled her amber eyes, annoyed by the 'catgirl' insult. "I would think not. Are you Mint, by any chance? Klaus told me to wait here for you."   
  
Mint was ready to launch into a tirade of "That's PRINCESS Mint to you," but something in the girl's words caught her attention. "Klaus sent you? But since when would Klaus know such a weirdo...oh. You're Rhea, right?"  
  
Rhea nodded, deciding she didn't like Mint's manners too much. "C'mon. They're all waiting for you." She strode off.  
  
"...Weird looking," mumbled Mint. Then she was running to catch up.  
  
  
*________*_______*_______*  
  
There...better? Or did I overdo it? 


	4. Chapter 4

Jeez...my disc won't play at all so I have to check FAQs to find out if Mint has healing magic.  
  
Wyvern: Part 4  
  
"Rue..."  
  
Claire stroked the young man's hair.  
  
Mint looked dully at her, then at Rue. "Anything I can do to help him?"  
  
"Not unless you know some SERIOUS healing magic." Claire's brown eyes were troubled.  
  
"I do."  
  
Both women jumped.   
  
Rhea walked up behind them. "I...remembered. There is a spell to cure him, but I need your help."  
  
Mint and Claire nodded.  
  
"Mint, use your gold magic on Claire."  
  
The princess nodded, twirling her rings and building a diamond of protection around the brown-haired girl.  
  
Rhea was concentrating hard on her scythe, holding it straight out and sideways in front of her, the silvery blades shimmering and crackling with blue lightning.  
  
Her amber eyes flared completely golden, then a massive bolt of energy struck the diamond of protection. It flared green, than exploded into several glimmering shards...  
  
Which surrounded Rue, and with a rushing sound swirled around him and seemed to encase him in a coating of healing emerald, flashing brightly once.  
  
Then it disappeared, back into Rhea's scythe, and shimmered up her arms. She suddenly collapsed on the floor.  
  
Rue's labored breathing eased into the calm of normal sleep.  
  
Claire was frowning at Rhea's still form. "Mint, there's something wrong! Help me get her into the other bed!"  
  
Grunting and heaving, they managed to lift Rhea into the spare bed. She groaned and her eyes fluttered open.  
  
"Damn...that hurt."  
  
"What did you DO?!" cried Claire. "I mean...nothing happened to Rue?"  
  
"No...he should wake up soon. I," and she gestured weakly at the bed, "need sleep. That spell takes more out of me than I remembered." Her eyes closed and her breathing evened into sleep.  
  
By this time, everyone was in the room, attracted by the noise. Klaus, Mira, Elena, Prima, Fancy Mel, and the newly arrived Belle, Rod and Duke filled the tiny space.  
  
"What happened here?"  
  
"Um...urgh..."  
  
All eyes turned.  
  
Rue, for the first time in a week, was awake.  
  
*________*_________*_______*  
  
Kinda pointless...but I needed Rue healed again and I didn't think Mint could revive him. 


	5. Chapter 5

Wyvern: Chapter 5  
  
"Is she awake yet, Mira?" asked Rue, scratching his head.   
  
"No. Poor dear, she collapsed right after casting that odd spell, whatever it was. She sure brought you out of it, though."  
  
"Polly!" yelled Elena from the kitchen. "Mint's in the bedroom, she needs to talk to you!"  
  
*******  
  
*I am...*  
  
She was lost in the dark sea of her own mind, hopelessly smothered in its crushing grip.  
  
*I am Rhea...*  
  
A tiny thought floated by and she grabbed at it, buoying herself up from the churning storm of cloudy murk.  
  
And like a thread, the thought grew longer, a pale white against the throbbing blackness, and she grabbed at more, until finally, the strand of words was revealed.  
  
*I am Rhealinesti Khoryonelle, and I am a-*  
  
*******  
"-Wyvern!" she shrieked, sitting bolt upright in the bed.   
  
"Gah!" shrieked a startled Mint, instinctively scooting backwards. As a result, her chair caught in a crack of the floorboards, dumping her unceremoniously on her back.   
  
Prima, Rod and Rue happened to have come into the room at just that moment. The sight was enough to make Rod burst out into hearty guffaws, while Rue walked over to help the princess up, suppressing snickers.  
  
A gasp from Prima caused even the furiously embarrassed Mint to look up.  
  
The mysterious girl was standing at the window, bathed in bright sunlight. Her skin, paler than pale, had turned nearly translucent, making the blue of her hair and the brilliance of her eyes all the brighter.  
  
She looked beautiful, ethereal, like an angel conjured from the mist.   
  
She looked unnatural. She looked *wrong*.  
  
The illusion of transparent beauty lasted only a few seconds, then disappeared as Rhea turned to face them, pale glazed eyes trained especially on Rue's face.  
  
"Are you all right now?" The oddly placed question hung on the air of the spellbound room, and Mint, familiar with magic as she was, could sense a new pulse of power in Rhea.   
  
Rue nodded, an alarm bell setting off in his brain. Something was making his head ache, the Dewprism shard in his forehead beginning to throb with a dull pain. "Thank you for healing me."  
  
"Good." She groaned suddenly, and clapped a hand to her forehead, pressing two fingers to the diamond-shaped hollow.  
  
The tingle of ominous power that surrounded the group stopped.  
  
"Wyvern." The name slipped uneasily from her mouth. "I remembered a little. I know my name. But I know little else."  
  
Mint snorted angrily. "Well, you know your name. What is it?"  
  
"Rhealinesti Khoryonelle." Rhea's hand quivered as she continued touching it to her forehead, as if trying to push the memory through.  
  
"Weird name, but it might give us a clue."  
  
"Wyvern." Rue repeated, sitting down on the bed. "What's a wyvern? It was important. When I woke up, I didn't remember much of my exploring. But I know that it was important."  
  
"This is hopeless!" yelled Mint. "The two of you might have stumbled on to a new [relic] for all we know, and neither of you can remember anything beyond that word?"  
  
Prima chose that moment to speak up. "Maybe Klaus knows something about it?"  
  
*******  
  
"Wyverns?" The older man's brow wrinkled into a thoughtful frown. "I'm not really sure."  
  
Klaus had been leafing frantically through a book titled 'Bestiarie,' and suddenly stopped, his finger stabbing downwards. "There it is!"  
  
"Wyvern: an unusual species of unknown origin, extremely rare and magical creatures that resemble dragons. Wyverns are created almost completely of magic and flames.   
  
A Wyvern holds a certain element depending on the coloring of their bodies, and can cast immensely powerful spells according to that element."  
  
The rest of the page was blank.  
  
"I don't recall anything related to any of that." Rue looked puzzled.  
  
Rhea just groaned in frustration.  
  
"But...if it's related to dragons..." Mint stepped forward, green eyes gleaming.   
  
Prima spoke up. "You're going to see dragons?"  
  
Rue smiled suddenly, a smile that made Mint's heart skip a beat before she pushed it to the back of her mind.   
  
"I think it's about time we saw Waylif again, don't you think, Mint?"  
  
*******  
  
A/N: This chapter may seem a little odd, ne?  
  
Okay, I admit that it's a Rue/Mint, though you all guessed it already. What do you expect from someone who thinks Nako-chan's "The Sequel" was the best thing ever?   
  
If you're nice enough to review, I need some info on where Waylif lives, what you have to get through to reach him, and on Waylif himself because my ToF disc never works. I need the info to continue the story!!!  
  
Oh yes, I already have an idea for a sequel. When Wyvern is finished, should I write it?   
  
One more thing! If anyone wants to see my art for Wyvern or any other stories, I will start putting up pictures at http://www.geocities.com/nikhali/dagonpage/newartistchambers.html Visit in about a week to see my pics of Rhea, Tren and Malys! Also, I will put up a pic of a wyvern if anyone wants it!  
  
That's all for now, so sayonara! 


	6. Chapter 6

Wyvern: Chapter 6  
  
"It's destiny. Deal with it." - Rhealinesti Khoryonelle, quotes  
  
******  
  
It was a baaaaad day for Waylif.  
  
His sister had come for a casual visit, reminded him of family obligations (with a lot of fire to help) and somehow had gotten him to babysit.  
  
Not an accurate term, that. Babysitting should involve, in his opinion, a hatchling who gurgled smoke harmlessly in the corner and left him mostly free to do as he wished. Not the surly, ebony-toned teenager who hunched angrily in the corner, narrowed eyes with the patented 'why-do-I-have-to-be- here?' look.  
  
The shebang of adventurers coming up to meet him brightened his day, thank all the gods.  
  
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*  
  
Waylif told them everything he knew.  
  
"Wyverns. They are like the dragons, and yet unlike - completely magical, completely unnatural. Aeon-made like the dolls," - and here he looked pointedly at Rue - "But I have never seen one; the last of them died out long ago. Supposedly they resembled us in shape, but not in size. Each one was tuned to a certain element, and their colour reflected that same element."  
  
Rhea stepped forward. "Have you ever heard of one in human form?"  
  
Poor Waylif choked.  
  
"[Relic]s! Have you ever heard of any connection between wyverns and [Relic]s?" Mint's eyes were bright, her voice eager.  
  
"None."  
  
As they left the mountaintop, incredulous golden eyes watched them go.  
  
*Why did uncle lie?*  
  
  
  
-/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\- Author's Note -/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\-  
  
HALLELUJAH! WRITER'S BLOCK IS DEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAADDDDDD!!!!!!  
  
Did this chapter make sense, even? I never did get past Atelier # 1, and I find very little reference to Waylif in ToF stories, so I don't know if dragon-boi has anything resembling a family.well, Meraine's integral to the plot, and she is STAYING! If my facts are messed up, tell me and I can always say it's an AU. Heh.  
  
Victoria Chastan, I'm extremely sorry for never replying to your e-mail about this fic. I must warn all that I am the world's most unlikely person to respond to mail. However, I *did* get around to reading your ficcies.must leave constructive criticism *cough* review chapters *cough*  
  
Yes, it's short. My updates tend to be, nowadays, but I'm not dead yet. 


End file.
